1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a straddle-type vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A straddle-type vehicle, such as a motorcycle, may be constructed such that a seat is disposed behind a fuel tank and an air cleaner is mounted below a rear portion of the fuel tank. A straddle-type vehicle of this kind, however, imposes significant restrictions on the position in which the fuel tank may be mounted while avoiding interference of a fuel pipe that extends downward from the fuel tank with the air cleaner.
On the other hand, fuel that cannot be drawn by a fuel pump out of the fuel tank (referred below to as ineffective residue) is generated according to the shape of the fuel tank and the position of the fuel pump. In order to reduce the ineffective residue, the fuel pump must be disposed in a position in which a major part of the fuel in the tank can be drawn. Thus, from the viewpoint of restricting ineffective residue, there are certain restrictions on the shape of the fuel tank and layout of the fuel pump.
In order to increase freedom in the mount position of the fuel pump and to reduce the ineffective residue, JP-A-2002-293281 proposes an external pipe line composed of a rubber hose, through which fuel is supplied to the fuel pump from a low location in the fuel tank, so that a major part of the fuel is drawn even when the fuel pump is not provided in a lower location in the fuel tank.
However, the motorcycle of JP-A-2002-293281 is complicated in construction since there is a need for an external pipe line below the fuel tank. Also, since the external pipe line is present below the fuel tank, the space available for the air cleaner to be mounted is decreased correspondingly, making it difficult to enlarge the volume of the air cleaner.